Maybe try some columns instead of the plain posts holding up the porch overhang.

The house looks great, just could use a new paint palette. Maybe a nice mix of grey siding and off-white trim/woodwork, with dark grey or white shutters would go really well with the brick. Also, are the windows wood? Can you paint them white instead of black?

Paint the garage door the same color as the siding so its not the focal point of the house. Paint the shutters, a dark grey would look nice or a brick color.Add a flower bed along the driveway and walkway. Even a lamppost would look nice at the begining of walkway with the flower bed going around it. Paint front door a lighter color that draws your attention.Add a large urn next to front door with brightly colored flowers and plants in it.Also some nice coach lights on either side of the garage door would look nice too.Your new home is beautiful,it just needs a little cosmetic fix up.Good Luck in your new home!

It is a nice house so congrats! In my opinion, here is how you can use your money the best. Keep the shutters and repaint them the same color as the trim. Buy a column surround kit for the single column on the front porch and make sure it is wider than the existing one and more substantial (paint the same color as trim). Buy and install a larger light fixture by the front door (brown), paint the garage the same color as the trim (change the garage door later if you can), Tall planter with preferably bright flowers under the light fixture on the porch. Spend most of your money landscaping with a few large rocks and a larger garden with a variety of flowers, grasses and bushes. Oh, and don't forget to install a matching but proportionately large light fixture over the garage door. Remove the storm door, paint the front door a bluish gray (not too dark as the door is in the shadows). Don't forget the antique brass door hardware, kick plate,and mail box. Add an large welcome mat and and enjoy!

You all have some great ideas! Thanks!!

so many good suggestions...If losing shudders iron flower boxes would look amazing against brick, agreed nicer garage door, and landscaping with height and color.

My first thought is to distress the brick in a creamy off white, then paint siding the same color. Metal roof (since copper not in budget)over the front door and small one over garage. Paint garage dark wood color (although I would do rest of house first, as it may end up looking like big hole, if so paint main house color) and paint front door pretty soft blue. Or red if your personality is more bold! Add decorative hardware. Lose storm door. Oversized lantern by front door and garage. Remove shutters on siding. Add decorative trim and beef up windows on brick area or larger shutters in dark brown. As there are budget constraints, I would start with paint. Landscape added etc. as you can. Shutters and salvaged roofing can be found at building supply places (customer returns) or places like Habitat for Humanity. Lights can be found at lighting clearance sales, Antique store, Goodwill and Ebay. You can pick up some really great stuff if you are up for the hunt. Good luck.

I would take off the shutters and spray paint them with a shiny black paint and do all the trim and garage in white and the front door in a bright color like chatreuse pink and bigger better shrubs a planter on the porch and how about a American Flag over near the garage or porch. Trees with hostas around them. The house is lovely just do what youhave a taste for and love it! good luck

A beautiful home. I agree with the above suggestions to darken the white areas and remove shutters. Add anice trim around windows to emphasize them. Stain or add pavers on top of the driveway. Remove lawn and make a low maintenance rock garden mulched with bluestone pebbles or gravel, like the one in my doodle below.

This combination looks nice.

Here's an example of a larger scale rock garden . If you have space on either side of your home plant some small to medium blooming trees.

P.S. The front entrance column needs to be beefed up - it's too thin.

Hi there, Nice house congrats...I am not an expert, but to me right now it is almost looking like 3 houses (sorry) remove shutters, make all windows the same colour (of your choice) and tone down the garage door (possibly) with the colour you choose for the window trims, you could leave the shutters on the brick, but paint them the same as garage door....you should be way under $2,000....worry about landscaping later...don't forget the front door..pop of colour

I would extend the porch to the right side of house. Be sure to use columns that are more robust. Although I'm not a fan of painted brick, I think in this case the brick needs to be the same color as the siding. If the shutters must stay, they should be painted a different color ...possibly charcoal. The garage door needs to be painted as well. It would be nice to get rid of the sidelight by the front door and back that a double door entry.

Paint the shutters a pretty beach blue and the door a bright beach blue add window boxes to match shutters. and , some tall ceaders between windown

Congratulations on your new home. I think the front door looks awkward and tight. Could the sidelight and door be reversed? Or could the door opening be widened to help give it more importance? I also like the idea of extending the porch to the right. Remove the shutters and beef up the trim around the windows. Have fun choosing!

love houzz... I played on the computer, check it out. add a wooden look garage door and exterior door to match, some trees and shurbs, and an iron window box full of bold pink flowers,but my fav some accent molding above the window on brick, after added that felt the shudders should stay. however not sure what color would be best...match trim, match wood doors, or shudders.

I agree, paint the garage door. If It were my home, I'd extend the porch (you could use pavers or a deck) length and width. Then landscape. The shutters then would become less of the focal point.

Nice house! My vote is to keep the shutters, possibly just change-up the garage door with more of a carriage style! If budget allows, toy with the idea of dormers in lieu of skylights on the garage! Enjoy the new house!

Save all your money and don't do any small alterations and put an extra story over the garage and while you are at iti put in a more interesting garage door. Sort the details out later.

If you only want to spend 200 dollars, I would paint your shutters black as well as the garage door to match your siding. Paint your door a dark red and add two fresh planters next to the door. Freshen up your landscaping and mow and edge your grass. That is about all you can do with a 200 dollar budget. You can buy hardware for your existing garage door to make it look like a carriage garage door. I am from Georgia and now live in Texas and we do not get rid of shutters, you paint them. They are the right size for the windows and if you are selling I would just paint them and let the new owner decide if she wants them :)

Your best bet is to use colour & landscaping to improve the balance & scale of some of the design elements & add some curb appeal to this neglected looking facade. In my opinion, the front door is rather poorly positioned & so small it looks unimportant & almost disappears. The porch scale is also much too small & low for this home.

So those who say to extend the porch-- would you extend to the right edge of the house or just a few more feet?

Some people seem to think its getting ready for sale and others that the house is a new purchase? Still others seem to think its a general makeover. Can we clear that up? I think extending the porch is a good idea visually as is painting the downpipes on the corners to match the walls so they are not so prominent. A porch might block sun to the downstairs windows which might be good or bad depending on the aspect of the house.

If people would take the time to read the original post, they will see that they are getting ready to close on this house. I take that to mean they are in the process of buying the house.

Oh for some reason I read "really close" which to me meant, the house was pretty much how they liked it, but they wanted to change some things or they pretty much got what they wanted. Both true actually. Well I still say the same thing. Look at the big picture. Don't get carried away with little cosmetic stuff that you may end up having to change again.

We will take possession of the house this week, so I have been brainstorming what I would like to do. :)

Good luck to you with your new home! :)

I think you are on the right track with this most recent shot. I like the white front door and the detail on the garage doors. The pickets add continuity as does highlighting the windows with the divided lights. Good luckvand enjoy your beautiful new home!

Thomas Wakeman, I like the idea of the fence and the sidewalk. However, I really becomes obvious in your rendering, as someone said earlier, that the paint coloring is making this look like 3 houses put together. The garage door definitely needs to be the same color as the siding to accomplish gettomg rid of this look.

I think the plants used as a suggestion are too formal looking and if a fence is used in the front, shrubs going up the path to the house would only serve as another fence and feel too closed in.

Another look with a fence would be to set it back about 5 feet into the yard and plant a beautiful garden on front of it.

Good idea about the garden plantings in front of the fence! A cottage accent and very welcoming. I liked the windows and cross pieces on a previous garage door shot -and adding the siding color to the garage door would work nicely. Not too dark though -dark colors sbsorb heat.

handyman, something more like this...

Yes, that is very nice!! (What a team we are, lol!) Can you change the plants up the walk to something softer and low like the ones you used in front?

And can you also show the house back to it's original colr with the garage door the same as the siding? (If it isn't too much trouble...?)

Love love the accent moulding above window, Lee. and the suggestion to paint out the garage door same or same tone as the siding. This would be a great start. You have many great ideas to work with now, over the years. Oh I would paint the front door now as well to brightened up your entrance way.

Good luck and enjoy your beautiful new home!

Getting from the driveway to the front door? Not much room for matching walkway -- stepping stones would have to cut through the boxwood. I also am thinking about flowers instead of shrubs leading up to the front door.

I agreepatsummerville, that is why I asked Thomas if he would redo, can't wait to see what he comes up with.

I like box shrubs though :) There's a path from the garage door to the front door just behind those shrubs, you can't see it though ;)

The boxwood smells so good. Easy to care for, but can take over visually if they are not kept in shape.

et voila. Right I'm done here :)

It almost looks like two houses. To unify the look I would paint the siding to match the brick as closely as possible. Keep the shutters and paint them a glossy black as well as the porch column.. Paint the window trim, front door and garage door espresso maybe. I like the combination of the brick red, black and espresso. If that is too dark for you the front door would look great in Cherokee red (my favorite).

The siding is actually vinyl shingles, so no painting those I believe. So I will be sticking with the beigy grey color for now. I also prefer not to paint the brick. So I am looking for ways to unify the three parts and give warmth and brighten the home. I really like that brick path and the garden in front. Beautiful!

I like the idea of a low fence - it provides a frame for the view of the house. You should consider specifying wrought iron - it will add character, look elegant, and a darker finish will not distract from the main view. - AN

Yes it does look like the garage has been tacked onto a house so the only way out for me would be ultimately to extend the higher roof line over the garage even if only half way across to tie the garage to the house.

Love sweet carolines plan but would leave grass and have a smaller rockery with a few garden tress for added height at street edge her house treatment has thw wow factor

Dress up windows in brick area by trimming them out in PVC material. Crown moulding headers on top of both brick windows. Trim out the attic vent also in PVC to make it more of an architectural element. Balance out by trimming out the windows on the right side also. White trim would make it all pop if keeping garage white also. Add beefy faux black iron straps to the sides of garage and handle for the carriage look on the cheap. Beef up the size of exterior lights, they are scaled too small. Best of luck, it is a beautiful house! This house can pop with just a few small changes and it can be done gradually!

JS Morgen is right. Adding moulding to the windows will make it outstanding. I would paint trim in cream and the garage door to match. Brightly potted plants - one on the right corner of porch and one at beginning of walkway. A cute little ceramic stool in a bright color with a small chair, welcome mat, and potted plant on porch adds a little brightness and cheer. Beefing up the outdoor lights will go a long way to add curb appeal. And finally, new house numbers. Those would be the first things I did. Then next spring - more curvy landscaping to reduce all the square lines of the lawn and at least one tree. Oh and a new mailbox - not in the picture, but I'm assuming - also adds lots of curb appeal.

Agree with jsmorgen.....delete all shutters, use applied moulding to really dress up brick elevation and then to trim out windows with a more classic surround (like what's around the front door) to reinforce the rhythm....the shutters are the wrong size and take away from what could be a lovely architectural statement. Also beef up column. The idea of extending the porch the full width of that part of the house would balance the garage wing and give you a place you can bring in more decor with benches and pots of plants/seasonal color. Trim at garage door to match windows.

If you plan to actually sit out front you could also add a paved area off the extended front porch that flows into the walkway.....would give you space for seating group. It also allows you to pull landscaping forward so it isn't all flat up against the house. You can do a version of this concept even if you don't extend the porch.

Changing out garage door or at least adding trim to give it a sense of style to match the rest of the house and then coordinate with paint colors, will help reduce it from the large mass of blank space. You'd be amazed how much some large hinges and trim could change the look.

Once you have the decorative trim in place use a computer program to experiment with paint colors. Consider darker shade of the vinyl siding for fascia/soffit and then go light for all the trim work. You can get the garage door faux painted to look like cedar for a fraction of the cost of new door. You can also change out just one panel to be windows, again instead of changing out entire door.

A stained wood front door would add a sense of richness. Maybe splurge to get one the width of door and sidelight? Classic plaque for house numbers below light fixture.

T. Wakemans landscaping with stepped back fence, will add depth and reinforce the sense of entry.

If you ever do swap out skylights for dormer....don't let anyone talk you into a series of small dormers; needs to be large, shed type to balance the other side.

You may have won the prize for the most action, what is it three years now?

Just so you know, I think all the house is perfect, the only problem is that a brick house somehow got stuck between your beautiful house and your handsome garage.

It is all in the eye, just screen it away with some trees that will filter it from view from the street.

Start a walkway to the house from over to the right, do some planting by the large tree on the right and swing the pathway by there on the way to the happy front entry.

While they are out there digging, have them take your rainwater from the downspout underground to a more distant locale that will manage it for you at some distance.

You can depart houzz, now that you have the answer to your problems.

Enjoy.

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